Process of pasteurizing bottle beverages.



A. S. LINDEMANN & H. 1E. STOCK. PROCESS 0F PASTBURIZING BOTTLE BBVERAGES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 1906.

Patented Oct. 17, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. S. LINDEMANN d; H. P. STOCK. PROCESS 0F PASTEURIZING BOTTLE BBVBRAGBS.

' APPLIOATION FILED JUNE E, 1906. 1,005,854. Patented Oct. 17,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. S. LINDEMANN & H. P. STOCK.

PROCESS oF PASTBURIZING BUTTLB BBVEBAGBS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 1906.

Patented Oct. 17,1911.

3 SHEETS'fSHEET 3.

@ZM @MM5 C? 477 W 41ML STA S I EBEE.

.AUGUST S. LINTEMANN, 0F MILWAUKEE, AND HENRY F. STOCK, WAUKESHA, WIS- CONSIN, ASSIGNORS TO MILWAUKEE-WAUKESHA BREWING COMPANY, OF MIL- WAUKEE, WISCONSIN, .A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

PROCESS OF PASTEURIZING- BOTTLE BEVERAGES.

incassa.

Specification of Letters ?atent.

Patented oet. 17, 1911.

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Beit known that we, AUGUST S. LINDE- MANN and HENRY F. STOCK, citizens of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and at Waukesha, in the county of Waukesha, respectively, in the State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Pasteurizing Bottle Beverages, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

The main objects of this invention are to heat the liquid quickly and uniformly to the desired temperature, thus saving time and energy or heat and avoiding injury to the product by keeping it too long at a high pasteurizing temperature; to prevent or reduce loss by breakage of bottles due to uneven heatin and unequal expansion thereof; and genera ly to improve processes of this class.

It consists in certain novel features in the manner of performing the operations which constitute the process as hereinafter particur Iarly described and pointed out in the claims.

in the accompanying drawing, showing suitable apparatus for carrying out the process, likecharacters designate the same parts in the several figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation and vertical section on the line 1 1, Fig. 2, of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same on the line 2 2, Fig. 1; and Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrams on an enlarged scale illustrating the difference in the eifect upon the contents of a bottle when subjected in an inverted position to an external heating medium, from that produced when the bottle is held in an upright position.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a designates a casing which may be conveniently constructed of sh et metal. It is partially divided by a vertical partit-ion b into two compartments o and d, which may be called respectively the pasteurizing compartment and4 the warming and cooling compartment, and

` is provided in the side next to the compartchamber for heating such liquid. The upper part of the casing is provided with a sprinkler or head which may be conveniently formed by a perforated horizontal plate g secured at its edges to the side walls of the casing. A pump connected on the suction side with t e lower part of the casin and on -the discharge side with the sprlnkler chamber, is provided for elevating the pasteurizing liquid from the lower part of the casing into said chamber. The discharge pipe i connects with a header '1 from which a number of branch pipes j, each provided with a valve jl, lead into the sprinkler chamber or head for distributing and regulating the supply of liquid deliverpd thereto. An endless conveyer `consisting of link belts k and bottle carriers l pivotally connected therewith at intervals, is supported and guided within the casing by sprocket wheels m, n, and o. Adjacent to the opening e, sprocket wheels p q and r are arranged to form a horizontal loop in the conveyor and to carry the link belts in and out through said opening for convenience in loading and unloading the carriers. Above the opening e outside of the casing a hood s communica-ting at the top with an escape pipe or Hue' is provided to catch and conduct ofi' the steam issuing from said opening. The conveyer supporting and guiding wheels are arranged to conduct the belts le, with the bottle carriers Z suspended therefrom, up-

wardly from the opening e through the upper part of the compartment d over the upper wheels m, across the upper part of the chamber inclosed by the casing below the sprinkler plate g, thence down through the compartment c around one set of wheels n, thence up over the wheels o, thence down again around the other set of wheels n at the lower end of the partition l), thence up throhgh the lower part of the compartment d around the wheels p, thence outward through the opening e around the wheels g, thence backward through said opening around the wheels r. The conveyer is driven by any suitable connection or connections with one or more sets of the sprocket wheels above/mentioned. For this purpose the shaft of the wheels o may-be provided at one end outside of the casing, as shown, with a worm gear t'meshing with a worm u on` a transverse shaft which is provided with loose and tight pulleys fu for connecting it by a belt with a suitably located driving pulley (not shown). An inclined deiiecting plate fw, ex-

tending downwardly-from a` line adjacent to the axis of the wheels g through the opening -jacent to the lupper and lower sprocket wheels m and n, with doors or removable sections y for affording easy access to the/interior of the apparatus.

In carrying out our process the apparatus hereinbefore described operates as follows: The water or otherliquid pasteurizing medium contained in the lower part of the casing being heated by the steam coil or pipes f, andmaintained at the required temperature, and the conveyer being set in jmotion, bottles containing the beverage to be pasteurized are loaded in crates or rev ceptacles :v upon the carriers Z as they pass out-side of the casing through the opening e Varound'the wheels g. The -ingoing bottles Aduring their ascent through the upper part of the compartment ZZ, are sprayed or sprinkled with the hot liquid issuing from the perforations in the plate g over said Acompartment,and are thus gradually heated `-`so ythat they will not be broken by' being suddenly subjected to the bath -or spray of hot liquid as it issues directly from the "sprinkler head orvchamber. AThehotv liquid owing downover the bottles in successive carriers in imparting its heat thereto is cooled and utilized, as hereinafter explained, to gradually cool the outgoing boty tles ascending throughthe lowerpart of said compartment 0l.

In their passage across the yupper part of the apparatus and down and vup through .the compartment c, the bottles are subjected to vthe .descending spray of; hot liquid from the sprinkler head or chamber, and theyand their contents are rapidly brought to a pasteurizing temperature and keptV atthat temperature a suffi- ,cient length of time to destroyyeast germs.

The bottles. beingiheld jwith their necks ,l .downward their entire circuit through thev apparat-us, the comparatively small volume of liquid contained in their necks being heated sooner than the much larger ,volume-in their bodies, rises and produces a circulation within the bodies of thebottles, as indicated by arrows on Fig. 3. By reason of' thisV free circulation the liquid Leonesa contents of the inverted bottles are quickly and uniformly heated to the required temperature, thereby materially shortening the time required for pasteurizing. In this way a saving is eil'ected not only in time but also in heat, or in the fuel or energy required to produce it. A better product is also obtained, particularly in the treatment of beverages such as fermented malt liquors which are detrimentally affected by being subjected to a high temperature for a longer period than is absolutely necessary to destroy yeast germs.

According to the usual method of pasteurizing bottle beverages the bottles are `held in an upright position, as shown in Fig. 4, and their contents next to the glass being first heated, rises into their necks, as indicated by arrows. The rising currents being congested and arrested in the bottle necks, the hotter portion of the liquid is confined therein, while the greater and cooler portion remains at or near the bottoms or in the bodies of the bottles. It will thus be seen that a verysluggish circulation of the contents of the bottles when they are held in an upright position is produced by the heating medium to which they are exposed on the outside. The contents of the bottles being thus slowly and unevenly heated, a much longer time is required to produce the desired elfect and much greater breakage of the bottles will result on account of the concentration of heat in their necks and the consequent unequal expansion of the glass. On the other hand, when the bottles are subjected to the heating mediumv in an inverted position according to the present invention, their contents next to the glass being -first heated rises into the larger parts of the bottles where ample room is afforded for the rising currents Vto turn and descend, as shown in Fig. 3. This ,results in a free and rapid circulation throughout the contents of the bottles and a consequent acceleration of the pasteurizing process. VThe liquid contained inv the bottles is uniformly and quickly heated, uneven expansion and breakage of the bottles are avoided, and a betterproduct is obtained.

As the bottles ascend through thev lower part of the compartment d they are sprayed or iiowed with the water which has beeny cooled by the' ingoing bottlesand are thus gradually cooled las they approach the opening e, the temperature of theliquid flowing over the outgoing bottles being again raised before it reaches the bottom of said compartment to repeat its circuit through the apparatus as above explained.

By sprinkling, spraying orl flowing the hot liquid over the bottles as they are moved with the conveyer through a closed chamber, it has been found that the liquid can be heated to a higher initial temperature and that the contents of the bottles can be raised to a pasteurizing temperature in a shorter time `than by moving the' bottles through or immersing them in a hot liquid bath according to the usual method. Furthermore, with Athe present method of pasteurizing by sprinkling or spraying the bottles with the hot liquid, there 1so less liability of overheating and injuring their contents in case of break-down or stoppage of the apparatus, since the supply of hot liquid to the -sprinkler chamber or head can be instantly shut oli, whereas, on the other hand, considerable time would be required to draw oil" the hot bath with which the pasteurizing tank .or chamber is supplied according to the usual practice. Although sprinkling, spraying or flowing the bottles containing the beverage to be pasteurized is the only method described of subjecting a bottled beverage to a pasteurizing medium, the advantages obtained by sub]ecting the bottles containing the beverage to the pasteurizing medium with the necks of the lbottles downward, may be obtained with the pasteurizing medium in dii'erent conditions, such as a spray, vapor or liquid bath, or with differ-A ent mediums.

We claim: 1. The process of pasteurizin bottled beverages consisting in subjecting t e bottles with their necks downward to a heating medium till their entire contents are brought to a pasteurizing temperature, substantially as described.

2. The process of pasteurizing bottled beverages consisting in moving the bottles with their necks downward through a heating medium till their contents are heated to a pasteurizing temperature, substantially as described. l Y

3. The process of pasteurizing bottled beverages consisting in sprinklingthe bottles while held necks downward with a hot liquid till their contents are heated to a pasteurizing temperature, substantially as described.

4. The process of pasteurizing bottled -beverages consisting in moving the bottles with their necks downward through a spray of hot liquid till their contents are brought to a pasteurizing temperature, substantially as described.

5. The process of pasteurizing bottled beverages consisting in moving the bottles with. their necks through a falling spray of hot liquid till their contents are brought to pasteurizing temperature, substantially as described.

In witness whereof we hereto afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

AUGUST s. L'INDEMANN. HENRY F. STOCK. Witnesses:

CHAs. L. Goss, BERNARD C. RoLoFr.

downward vertically v 

